Streetscape Plan Updates from Leucadia & Solana Beach
The North County Times is reporting that a Los Angeles fire Engineer David Smith is collecting signature support to oppose Leucadia's beautification project since he believes the new plans will compromise fire truck access. However, the city's Fire Chief Mark Muir disagrees with Smith's assessment and stated that while the road didn't weren't up to par on the city's requirements, the recommendations did meet the state's standards.
Asked if he thought a fire truck would have trouble moving through the reworked area, Muir responded, "To me, that's not even a question. We can do it."
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Meanwhile John A. Eldon an instructor at UCSD's extension program attended the Solana Beach Streetscape Plan and learned that,
the project consultant now advocates two southbound lanes, the rightmost of which would to be clearly sharrow marked and designated as a slower lane to be shared by motorists and bicyclists. Northbound we would have one through lane next to a fairly wide bike lane, which should work OK because there is only one intersection (Lomas Santa Fe) along the 2-mile stretch.
The shared lane is a huge improvement over earlier door zone bike lane plans and the proposal to divert southbound bicyclists to a side street west of the coast highway. The next community meetings will be sometime in January.
The Revival to Premier for Free in South Park, Friday Night Nov. 20!
The Revival, urban cycling's latest film by Canadian phenoms Skitch & Morehart Films, will be premiering tomorrow night for free at The Whistlestop Bar (21+) in the South Park neighborhood of San Diego.
The trailers have indicated that this will be one of the finest fixed gear films to date. Even non-fixed gear cyclists can appreciate the perspective these talented filmmakers have on urban bicycling.
Whether you ride a fixed gear or not, it is undeniable that the fixed gear bicycle has propelled new interest in urban bicycling--particularly among today's youth. Traffic sociology in many major U.S. cities is changing. Bicycle ridership--in many U.S. cities--is reaching historic levels. Young adults are taking to the streets on two wheels like never before. They're scouring thrift stores and their parents' garages looking for 70s/80s steel road frames to strip down, simplify, revive and convert to fixed gears to thrillingly propel them around cities cheaply, healthily, and sustainably.
San Diego is but one city where this social phenomena is taking place.
The Revival represents modern youth's fascination with the fixed gear bicycle. This film is bound to further propel interest in urban bicycling, particularly among young people. Come out tomorrow night for a celebratory and fun SD bike party at The Whistlestop (2236 Fern St. near Velo Cult) to see why we love the fixed gear bicycle so much.
Live music by Knives and The Preteens.
DJ sets by Bikerophone, Eddie Kon, and Justin Cota-Pop.
Photos by Matt Lingo (COG Magazine).
Frames on display by Leader Bikes and an additional local frame builder, to be announced.
Have a fun night out and see what these riders can do on two wheels! Until you can view one of the excellent trailers:
THE REVIVAL/KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON from morehartfilms on Vimeo.
Please, ride home when sober and safe to ride.
Hope to see you there.
Search for Escondido Hit and Run Driver
A driver in Escondido pulled a Chris Thompson on Wednesday morning, veering into the bike lane directly in front of two teenage bicyclists on Bear Valley Parkway. Both riders fell in their attempt to avoid the rear of the driver's SUV. The driver then reportedly leaned from her window and asked the boys if they were okay, but drove off after they responded that one of them was bleeding.
Both boys sustained multiple abrasions, one had cuts to his leg, arm, and shoulder, and the other may have a broken nose. The SUV was tan-colored and the driver was described as a Latina with shoulder length hair, acne scars, and a "Spanish" accent. Anyone with information about the incident, the vehicle, or the driver should call CHP Officer Mike Bush at (760) 757-1675.
As of this posting, SignOnSanDiego is the only local news agency reporting the incident.
Questions in the Deadly University City Crash Involving an SDPD Officer
In the three days since Walter Freeman was killed by a SDPD cruiser in University City, questions from the bicycling community have continued to roll in. The primary concern is that the officer in question may have been driving distracted. Freeman exited a driveway and crossed a bike lane and two other lanes of traffic, wearing a reflective vest and red helmet before being struck from behind by the cruiser, which according to the SDPD was traveling under the posted 45 m.p.h. speed limit.
Residents of the area said Freeman was an avid bicyclist who rode the area regularly, but witness statements claimed that Freeman moved left suddenly into the path of the cruiser, emphasizing a common misperception that bicyclists are erratic and unpredictable. But if Freeman was the experienced and safety-conscious bicyclist he seems to have been, it seems unlikely that his move reflected anything other than an assumption that a police car, of all things, would obey traffic laws and allow him to merge left.
As anyone who has been in a fender-bender knows, police typically assign fault in rear-end collisions to the driver in back for failing to yield or traveling at unsafe speeds. In this case, the officer claimed to not see Freeman until it was too late, but it seems that Freeman had done everything within his power to be seen. The SDPD was quick to label this fatality an "unfortuante accident" but the investigation is ongoing and we hope the department will provide more information about what exactly the officer was doing inside his car when Walter Freeman entered the roadway.
Bicyclist Killed in University City Crash with SDPD Car
LATEST: From the NBC7 broadcast news, we learn that the bicyclist (Walter Freeman) was likely moving left across the southbound lanes of Genesee Avenue to turn left onto Governor Drive when he was struck from behind by the police cruiser, also traveling southbound, apparently at the posted 45 m.p.h. Because the police car was traveling at non-emergency speeds, lights and siren were not activated. The officer stopped at the scene and called for emergency medical assistance.
UPDATE: We learn from NBC7 that the police car was traveling without lights or sirens and that the bicyclist was heading southbound on Genesee in the bike lane before moving to the left. We do not yet know whether the bicyclist was attempting to turn left onto Governor Drive, and we do not know in which direction the SDPD cruiser was traveling, or the rate of speed. We also do not yet know whether the bicyclist entered the intersection with or against the light.
A bicyclist was killed this morning when he was struck by a San Diego Police Department cruiser in University City. The crash occurred in the 3900 block of Governor Drive at the intersection with Genesee Avenue. According to SignOnSanDiego, the bicyclist was struck when he made a left turn directly in front of the patrol car. The police officer involved was responding to a call, but it is currently not known whether the car had its lights and sirens activated, or how fast it was traveling. We'll stay on top of the story and update as soon as there is more information.
See coverage of the story at SDNN and SignOnSanDiego.